In 2024, approximately 22.81 million people lived in the São Paulo metropolitan area, making it the biggest in Latin America and the Caribbean and the fifth most populated in the world. The homonymous state of São Paulo was also the most populous federal entity in the country. The second place for the region was Mexico City with 22.51 million inhabitants.

Brazil's cities

Brazil is home to two large metropolises, only counting the population within the city limits, São Paulo had approximately 12.4 million inhabitants, and Rio de Janeiro around 6.8 million inhabitants. It also contains a number of smaller, but well known cities such as Brasília, Salvador, Belo Horizonte and many others, which report between 2 and 3 million inhabitants each. As a result, the country's population is primarily urban, with nearly 85 percent of inhabitants living in cities.

Mexico City

Mexico City's metropolitan area ranks fifth in the ranking of most populated cities in the world. Founded over the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan in 1521 after the Spanish conquest as the capital of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, the city still stands as one of the most important in Latin America. Nevertheless, the preeminent economic, political, and cultural position of Mexico City has not prevented the metropolis from suffering the problems affecting the rest of the country, namely, inequality and violence. Only in 2021, the city registered a crime incidence of 45,336 reported cases for every 100,000 inhabitants and around 32 percent of the population lived under the poverty line.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Mexico City, Mexico metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

The statistic depicts the total population of Mexico from 2019 to 2020, with projections up until 2029. In 2020, Mexico's total population amounted to about 128.21 million people.

Total population of Mexico

The total population of Mexico was expected to reach 116.02 million people by the end of 2013. Despite being the source of one of the largest migration flows in the world, Mexico has managed to maintain around a 1.25 percent population growth rate for the last several years, roughly the same growth rate as India. Among the largest cities in Mexico, Mexico City is leading with more than 8.5 million inhabitants. A slowly declining fertility rate still holds above the replacement rate, and life expectancy is growing, expanding the population from both ends of the age spectrum. With the rising life expectancy, the median age of Mexican residents has also increased, and an increasing stream of immigrants from the financially-troubled Spain has also boosted population numbers.

The majority of the Mexican population is Roman Catholic, owing to its colonial Spanish background. Spanish is the predominant language, with several regional and local dialects spoken, but a number of indigenous languages, such as Nahuatl, survive and are also spoken around Mexico.

One worrying and relatively recent trend in Mexico is the growing share of the population becoming overweight or obese. It is not entirely clear what sort of effect the obesity epidemic is going to have on Mexican population numbers in the long run, but is starting to manifest itself not just in physical appearance, but in the increased rates of heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. In fact, diabetes was one of the top causes of deaths for Mexicans in recent years.

The services sector employed the largest share of workers in Mexico City as of the second quarter of 2024, with 64.93 percent. The commerce industry ranked second, with about 20 percent of employed population in the country's capital working in this sector.

During the last census, Iztapalapa registered a total of 1.8 million inhabitants, a population higher than the eight States with the lowest population in Mexico. Gustavo A. Madero and Álvaro Obregón ranked second and third, respectively. In contrast, Milpa Alta registered only 152,685 inhabitants.

The state of Mexico is the most populated region in Mexico, being home to around 13.44 percent of the country's total population. In 2022, approximately 17.32 million people lived in the state of Mexico, whereas 9.3 million resided in the country's capital, Mexico City. The state with the lowest number of inhabitants was Colima, with around 770,900 residents.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Ciudad Juarez, Mexico metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

In 1800, the present-day region of Mexico had a population of just over six million people. Mexico gained its independence from the Spanish crown in 1821, and population growth remained steady for the next 85 years. Growth then halted with with the Panic of 1907, an American financial crisis whose ripple effects in Mexico would set the stage for the Mexican Revolution in 1910. This revolution would see population flatline at just over fifteen million between 1910 and 1920, as widespread conflict and result in the death of between 1.7 to 2.7 million over the decade, and the coinciding 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic would see the loss of another 300,000 in this time period. Following the end of both the Mexican Revolution and the Spanish Flu epidemic in 1920, the population of Mexico would begin to increase rapidly as modernization would see mortality rates fall and standards of living rise throughout the country. This growth has continued steadily into the 21st century, and in 2020, Mexico is estimated to have a population of just under 129 million.

Key information about Mexico Unemployment Rate

• Mexico Unemployment Rate increased to 2.61% in Jan 2025, from the previously reported figure of 2.60% in Dec 2024.
• Mexico Unemployment Rate is updated monthly, available from Jan 2005 to Jan 2025, with an average rate of 3.81%.
• The data reached an all-time high of 5.89% in Sep 2009 and a record low of 2.44% in Oct 2024.
• The data is reported by reported by National Institute of Statistics and Geography.
• In the latest reports, Mexico Population reached 131.72 million people in Dec 2024.

Mexico's housing market demonstrates significant regional price variations, with Mexico City emerging as the most expensive area for residential property in 2024. The capital city's average house price of 3.91 million Mexican pesos far exceeds the national average of 1.73 million pesos, highlighting the stark contrast in property values across the country. This disparity reflects broader economic and demographic trends shaping Mexico's real estate landscape. Sustained growth in housing prices The Mexican housing market has experienced substantial growth over the past decade, with home prices more than doubling since 2010. By the third quarter of 2023, the nominal house price index reached 255.54 points, representing a 146 percent increase from the baseline year. Even when adjusted for inflation, the real house price index showed a notable 40 percent growth, underscoring the market's resilience and attractiveness to investors. The mortgage market is dominated by three main player types: Infonavit, Fovissste, and commercial banks including Sofomes. In 2023, Infonavit, a scheme by Mexico's National Housing Fund Institute which provides lending to workers in the formal sector, was responsible for the majority of mortgages granted to individuals. Challenges in mortgage lending Despite the overall growth in housing prices, Mexico's mortgage market has faced challenges in recent years. The number of new mortgage loans granted has declined over the past decade, falling by approximately 200,000 loans between 2008 and 2023. This decrease in lending activity may be attributed to various factors, including economic uncertainties and changing consumer preferences. The state of Mexico, which is home to 13 percent of the country's population, likely plays a significant role in shaping these trends, given its large demographic influence on the national housing market.

The working poverty rate in Mexico, which refers to the percentage of the population with labor income below the cost of the food basket, fell to 35.8 percent in the first quarter of 2024. The share of the Mexican population at working poverty peaked in the third quarter of 2020, at 46 percent.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Villahermosa, Mexico metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

In the first quarter of 2024, per capita wage income in Mexico City stood at 4,658.04 Mexican pesos, a considerable growth compared to the previous quarter and the largest income per capita registered.

Key information about Mexico Household Income per Capita

• Mexico Annual Household Income per Capita reached 3,690.156 USD in Dec 2022, compared with the previous value of 2,639.778 USD in Dec 2020.
• Mexico Annual Household Income per Capita data is updated yearly, available from Dec 2006 to Dec 2022, with an averaged value of 3,322.376 USD.
• The data reached an all-time high of 4,169.817 USD in Dec 2008 and a record low of 2,639.778 USD in Dec 2020.
• In the latest reports, Retail Sales of Mexico grew 4.584 % YoY in Apr 2023.

CEIC calculates Annual Household Income per Capita from Quarterly Average Household Income per Capita multiplied by 4 and converts it into USD. The National Institute of Statistics and Geography provides Average Household Income per Capita in local currency. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions.

Mexico City is home to the largest number of startup companies in Mexico. The country's capital harbored 358 startup businesses as of September 2024, followed by Monterrey, with 86. In Brazil, the majority of startup companies are located in the city of São Paulo.

In January 2024, the most usual type of crime reported in Mexico was domestic violence. In that month, the cases of this type of violence amounted to around 20,814 cases. Regarding property crimes, the highest number of occurrences were vehicle thefts, with nearly 11,887 reported crimes.

Domestic violence Domestic violence stands out as the crime with the highest incidence and, paradoxically, one of the least attended to by the government. Public spending allocated to combat domestic violence has been dismally low, with a value only around 25 percent of the spending on the military. Adding to the concern, this budget has witnessed a consistent decrease each year since 2015. This decline in resources has had severe consequences, leading to a surge in domestic violence crimes, with many resulting in homicides. It's noteworthy that the majority of registered femicides occur within the confines of closed domestic spaces and are often committed by the partners of the victims. This paints a concerning picture of the challenges faced in addressing and preventing domestic violence.

Mexico and the most violent cities in the world
Mexico hosts seven of the most dangerous cities globally, with Celaya ranking as the number one in terms of murder rate, registering a staggering 109.39 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants and the most of these other cities are concentrated in the upper region of the country, highlighting the significant regional variations in safety and security. On the other hand, the capital, Mexico City, has experienced a decreasing trend in crime incidence, with a notable decrease from 2018 to 2022, nonetheless, the crime rate is still high. As a result, crime and insecurity have become the primary concern for nearly half of the country's population, underscoring the pressing need for addressing these issues.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Orizaba, Mexico metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

More than five million students were enrolled in higher education in Mexico in the academic year 2023/24. Of these, the largest quantity of students – over 900,000 – were registered in universities or other higher education institutions in Mexico City. The second Mexican federal entity with most students enrolled in higher education was the state of Mexico, with over 604,000 people.

In 2020, Mexico had a Jew population of 58,876 people. More than a third of that population lived in Mexico State by that time. Mexico City had almost 18,000 Jewish people in this same year.

The share of urban population in Mexico saw no significant changes in 2023 in comparison to the previous year 2022 and remained at around 81.58 percent. Nevertheless, 2023 still represents a peak in the share in Mexico with 81.58 percent. A country's urbanization rate refers to the share of the total population living in an urban setting. International comparisons of urbanization rates may be inconsistent, due to discrepancies between definitions of what constitutes an urban center (based on population size, area, or space between dwellings, among others).